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30 thoughts on “Mercades Nichols back in jail”

Of course I’m sure some nimrods will come on here saying we’re being big meanies for judging her. That we don’t know the whole story and she’s a nice a girl and that the neighbors shouldn’t have run in front of her car or made her angry.

It’s not a surprise, but it’s still sad. There were no reports on whether the court-ordered psych evaluations included any actual help in the form of treatment of any kind- not that those counseling sessions and anger management classes really work, do they? The sad thing is, this person who was once so sweet and innocent, kind to animals according to her grandmother, Mary Nichols, has gone down a road that can lead to disaster. I knew guys back in the 60s and 70s who used their cars as weapons, as Mercades apparently did, and that usually led to worse trouble ahead. But those guys were not at the time ON PROBATION, and we know that probation violations can lead to most serious consequences, not in the future but right now, especially considering the seriousness of the original charges.
I can’t help asking, didn’t she realize she was violating probation by going after the neighbors? Didn’t she understand the consequences? Or doesn’t she care anymore?

Jae – you have the exact same opinion that I have! Some person who SAYS they know them (usually a net-troll) comes on and says that this person is really nice, and usually isn’t like this, yadda yadda yadda.
Can’t wait to read about it.

Kids learn about “consequences” early on. They learn that they are “not the only person on the planet” and learn to sympathize and treat others fairly. Some kids just don’t get that..usually if the parents have big-self egos…generally the kids pick up on that also and build on it. Not all the time..but I would bet..look at one of the parents.

On a side note: This may be a city thing…We “caucasians” have become slack in reprimanding and making our kids aware of others around them. I’ve seen white kids on the subway act totally inappropriate, stupid, loud, spoiled and obnoxious..while the black child, a few seats down is quiet, sits, listens and behaves in a way that he/she should be allowed to attend a White House dinner!!! THAT parent in these situations have to give only ONE glare…and that kid sits down! It’s as if that kid has been TOLD about the world!

I’m so sick of white folk thinking their kid is “all that” or that they cannot do wrong!

Sassy, I let a lot of silly comments pass, but when you introduce a racial angle here, I have to say it is very disturbing, and just wrong. If you think only white people act in the way you describe, you must not get out much. Turn off Keith Obermann and go outside and see reality and don’t just judge by a few isolated incidents. One could even make a strong case that the kind of behavior those Lakeland girls exhibited in the infamous video was a result of trying to “act black” as popularized by Hip Hop culture and MTV. But really, it is not a racial thing and there is no reason to introduce that kind of distinction here. I have lived long enough to see totally atrocious behavior in people of every race and ethnicity, and every economic class. Good and evil don’t discriminate, they are pretty evenly distributed.
As for people’s reaction to Mercades’ latest foul-up, I don’t see anyone offering any constructive suggestions. Someone said she will probably be in trouble most of the time, so we might as well keep her in jail now. Preemptive incarceration doesn’t sound like good policy, any more than preemptive war (as Bush learned to his sorrow).
One thing is clear: this girl needs HELP. But the courts failed, and they all got away with slaps on the wrist. There was neither justice for the victim, Victoria Lindsay, nor any attempt at rehabilitation for those like Mercades who is clearly a troubled young person. A fair balance of punishment and rehabilitation could have been provided, but wasn’t. But that is part of a general breakdown of order, in the courts and in the education system. While people like Mercades must bear responsibility for their failures, a lot of the fault lies with the courts, the schools, and the parents.

I don’t see that this is a place for generating constructive suggestions. If you want to generate constructive suggestions and rehabilitating young delinquents that can’t stay out of trouble for more than five minutes at a time, then I hope that’s something you’re pursuing in your personal life. 🙂 It’s a blog that I read and react to. Usually in a WTF kind of fashion.

And really, race doesn’t have anything to do with this. I’ve seen white children act atrociously and then I’ve seen black kids act just the same. As well as hispanic, asian, pink and yellow kids. It’s a generational child-rearing problem, not a race thing.

We are all free to use the blog in whatever way we want. Some use it to vent, some use it as an amusement, and some use it to exchange views for various reasons. Everyone should be welcome and no restrictions applied, within reason. If someone just wants to comment for fun, that should be okay, too. But I find it annoying that race has to be dragged into every discussion. It seems you can’t even discuss Einstein’s theory of relativity without someone making it a racial issue, and that is just uncalled for.
As for rehabilitating troubled young people, that is something that has touched my life, but not in an official capacity. It seems to me that far too many professionals working in the fields of psychological counseling and therapy are not the least bit dedicated to helping those in need of help. Many of these professionals see it as just another job, and the result is that the people they are supposed to be guiding turn out in worse shape than when they started. That is also true of teachers, and sad to say, many parents. So those of us who are involved in a student-teacher or child-parent relationship, in other words, almost everyone, is involved, in their personal life, with the kind of problem we see in Lakeland. Not everyone knows someone as troubled as Mercades (I have known a few) but we are all affected in some way by the decline of traditional values, and the lack of dedication of people who are supposed to uphold those values.

BTW Mercades’ mother posted comments here for a long time, and I’m sure members of the family (and members of other families involved in the case) still read the blog. That’s why I’m careful not to be too negative in my comments, I think they get enough negativity as it is. But that is my choice, and I don’t try to impose it on anyone else.

A reliable source on Topix tells us that the people Mercades was (“allegedly”) harassing are the family of Zach Ashley (remember him?), whom she was reportedly dating. This gets more and more weird. Anyway, there is an escalating pattern of violence here and some tough love is definitely called for.

Those who wanted to see the perps do hard time might get their wish, at least for Mercades. She is to remain in jail until July 23, and then we will see if Judge Spoto has developed any backbone since May when he let her off with a plea bargain and no jail time–which is pretty remarkable considering the original charges carried a possible life sentence.
While three of the perps cried profusely and apologized at the sentencing, Mercades seemed to show no remorse at all, and some say she still blames Victoria for the whole thing. Maybe now she will have a chance to think it over and realize that she brought all her trouble on herself.

This so unsettling why is this girl allowed to even leave the house. Remember being punished for the littliest things. I guess these new breed of parent are to soft. She beat a girl and taped it, did the judge think she would behave. Even though she was not properly sentenced she should have been under house arrest. This was not the first time she got in trouble since her parole. She went after her ex boyfriend a few months after.

I love these apologetic white folks who feel that they have to make explanations for other people’s behavior. I mean really, we all know that it’s only white kids hurting each other out there. What a joke.

We should have thrown the lot of them in jail and set an example for all of our kids but we live in a country that’s lost it’s way. We can’t hold anyone accountable for anything.

Since when did this become about race? Did I miss something? “Apologetic white folks”? Where? I haven’t seen those, either. I think most of us have been saying that she should have gotten jail time to begin with.

OK. I just skimmed back over the comments. It seems as if Sassy Lou tried to play the ‘race card’ almost two months ago. And failed. Did you think you could do a better job of it? The only thing you have succeeded in doing is making yourself look as silly as Sassy. Race is not the issue here ill-bred, violent teens are the issue. Their race or religion have nothing to do with it – only the fact that they think they are above the law. There is good in every race….and bad in every race. Those who try to make everything about race are just showing their ignorance.

Thank you, Angel. Very well said and completely true.
BTW Mercades was supposed to be sentenced July 23 but she got a lawyer (a good one, they say) and pleaded not guilty to the charges. There have been a few hearings since then, and even though Spoto has been replaced by an other, more experienced judge, it looks like this case will drag on just like the original case.
It sort of makes me yearn for the good old days of frontier justice..LOL

Angel that is just Mercades good hearted spirit showing through .at first it was her heartfelt concern for the shelf in stead of Victoria ,Now certain people thought this made her insensitive to the beating Victoria was getting but it was just her caring for the shelf and as some said it was a threatning act , ruining a lawn but as you point out it Was just free landscaping , How can one as sweet and kind and such a good friend to all that know her be so misunderstood

Not surprising a bunch of white trash (..”Lakeland, a lower middle class” suburb) would behave this way. As of 2014 most of them have kids already, undoubtedly tax-payer supported, and are either currently in jail or on probation. I WISH they would come to my neighborhood on the East Side of Cleveland and let’s see how tough they are…they wouldn’t last 5 minutes. Let me EVER run into ANY of them for what they did to that girl and they will be crying for mommy.